Michael Cohen said to be frustrated that Trump won’t pay his mounting legal fees

‘I haven’t spoken to Michael in a long time,’ Trump says of his longtime fixer

Reuters

Michael Cohen is being investigated by the U.S. attorney for alleged bank fraud, campaign-finance violations and possible other crimes.

By

RebeccaBallhaus

RebeccaDavis O’Brien

Michael Cohen has hired New York lawyer Guy Petrillo to represent him in a federal investigation into his business dealings, and has told associates he wants President Donald Trump, his former boss, to pay his legal fees, according to people familiar with the matter.

Cohen has frequently told associates in recent months he is frustrated that the president hasn’t offered to pay his legal fees, which he has said are “bankrupting” him, according to one of the people. He has said he feels that Trump owes him after his years of loyalty to the former real-estate developer, whom he served for nearly a decade at the Trump Organization.

The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment, and there has been no indication Trump is planning to pay for his former longtime lawyer’s legal fees.

The Trump campaign had been footing the bill for some of Cohen’s legal expenses, paying nearly $230,000 to McDermott, Will & Emery LLP between October 2017 and January 2018, according to Federal Election Commission records and a person familiar with the matter. But those payments helped cover Cohen’s legal representation in the separate Russia investigation, not in the probe of his business dealings. Trump told reporters on Friday that Cohen was no longer his lawyer. “I always liked Michael Cohen,” he said. “I haven’t spoken to Michael in a long time.”

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